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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28171278">Completions and Connections</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanaFox1013/pseuds/DanaFox1013'>DanaFox1013</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The X-Files</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bars and Pubs, Canon Compliant, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Fluff, Gen, Season/Series 01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:40:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,030</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28171278</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanaFox1013/pseuds/DanaFox1013</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mulder and Scully find themselves spending Christmas Eve together after work just months after they first start working together. </p>
<p>Dedicated to AnnieAmi in the 2020 Secret Santa Exchange.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fox Mulder &amp; Dana Scully, Fox Mulder/Dana Scully</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>X-Files Secret Santa Fanfic Exchange (2020)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Completions and Connections</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieAmi/gifts">AnnieAmi</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Queen's Arms Pub, Washington D.C<br/>December 24th, 1992<br/>5.36 PM</p>
<p>"Well, that's a little morbid for Christmas Eve."</p>
<p>Scully laughed and took a drink from her beer bottle as Mulder picked up the document she had pushed across the table to him. She watched as he scanned the front and began flipping through the pages, his reindeer print tie hanging loosely around his neck and his sleeves rolled up showing surprisingly muscular forearms - not that she was looking... She had replaced her smart work shirt with a long-sleeved white, lace top and around them, the bar was filled with other government workers enjoying an end-of-work drink, or several, with co-workers before heading home for Christmas. A haze of smoke lingered everywhere. It made Scully crave a cigarette despite not having touched one since she finished medical school, and making her think she would need to change and shower before driving to her parents' that evening unless she wanted to be questioned about the odor.</p>
<p>"I don't expect you to read the whole thing right here," she explained. "I just wanted you to have it before you went on leave so you'd have time to make a decision."</p>
<p>"I doubt there's a decision to be made," he replied, putting the document down and drinking from his own bottle. "If these are your wishes then who am I to disagree?"</p>
<p>"You're my partner," she answered back immediately, "I know we've only been working together for nine months but I respect your judgment. If you see any problems, I'd like to know."</p>
<p>Mulder looked at her and she maintained eye contact with him until he raised an eyebrow, nodded, and looked back at the front page where the words LIVING WILL DECLARATION: DANA KATHERINE SCULLY stared up at them both in harsh black letters.</p>
<p>"After you've read it thoroughly, if you're still happy to witness it then I'll need to sign it in front of you and have you sign and date it. Then I'll file it with the Bureau's legal team and hope it's never needed."</p>
<p>"I'll make sure I've read it before I get back," Mulder promised, "although I can't promise to understand all of it if it's full of your usual medical jargon." </p>
<p>Scully smiled and they both drank for a long moment, listening to the chatter around them.</p>
<p>"So what's brought this on?" Mulder asked as Last Christmas came on the radio and half the pub groaned audibly while the other half began singing along in earnest.</p>
<p>"It's something I've been thinking about ever since our first case together actually."</p>
<p>"One case together and you're already thinking about your own death? How reassuring."</p>
<p>Scully laughed out loud and Mulder grinned, the sound sparking something in his chest that felt somehow like Christmas.</p>
<p>"It was just... Seeing Billy Miles in that bed. The thought of existing like that for years or even longer chilled me. It's not something I'd want."</p>
<p>"Even though you saw him recover and return to a normal life?"</p>
<p>"But what are the odds of that Mulder?" Scully drained her beer and set the bottle down with more force than she intended. "Did you know that 90% of patients who remain in a coma for longer than a month will fail to improve to a state better than severe disability? I don't want that for myself and I don't want it for my family either." </p>
<p>Mulder nodded as he finished his own beer. </p>
<p>"Another?" he asked, indicating Scully's empty bottle. She checked her watch.</p>
<p>"I'd better not, I still have to finish wrapping before driving to my parents' house. We're all attending midnight mass later and my dad is a stickler for punctuality."</p>
<p>"You haven't finished wrapping?" Mulder asked in surprise as they stood and began putting on their coats, several pairs of eyes watching them and the possibility of snagging a rare empty table.</p>
<p>"That surprises you?"</p>
<p>"Honestly? Yes. You always struck me as the type of person who had all your presents bought and wrapped before Thanksgiving."</p>
<p>Scully smiled as she wrapped a scarf around her neck and they slipped out of their booth which was immediately taken over by a pair of young women Scully vaguely recognized from the Bureau bullpen.</p>
<p>"Not even close," she told him as they pushed through the doors and out into the freezing DC night. "I'm thrilled with myself that I'm not at the mall right now loaded up with a dozen bags hoping to get everything bought before closing."</p>
<p>Mulder chuckled and his breath froze in spiraling plumes as they walked toward the Hoover building where they had left their cars after work.</p>
<p>"Thanks for inviting me out," he said after a few moments of dodging ice patches on the sidewalk. "Even if it was all a ruse to ask me to witness a depressing legal document." </p>
<p>Scully laughed again and Mulder felt his chest tighten again in that strange way he couldn't quite place his finger on.</p>
<p>"Sorry if it interfered with your plans."</p>
<p>Now it was Mulder's turn to laugh.</p>
<p>"Oh yes, I'm afraid it has interfered significantly with my plan to order Chinese food and stare at my television until I pass out on the couch."</p>
<p>Silence hung between them for a moment interrupted only by the sound of their shoes crunching on the icy sidewalk.</p>
<p>"Do you want to come to mine for a coffee?" </p>
<p>The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to think about their implications. Mulder turned to look at her in surprise.</p>
<p>"I thought you had wrapping to do?"</p>
<p>"Might be nice to have someone to talk to while I finish up?"</p>
<p>Mulder's brain was racing. He'd never been to Scully's apartment before, although he'd seen it from the outside when he'd dropped her off a few times. When other women invited him into their apartments 'for a coffee' it usually had another, unsubtle meaning, but he didn't think for a moment that's what Scully was implying, not that he thought he'd say no… He realized he'd been silent for too long and she was probably starting to worry.</p>
<p>"Sounds great, but only if I can ask a favor?"</p>
<p>A wry smile crept across her face.</p>
<p>"Oh? And what's that?"</p>
<p>"I had some of my own wrapping to do tonight too, can I swing by my place, pick up my haul and steal some of your gift wrap?"</p>
<p>"I suppose you're gonna want to steal some sticky tape too?"</p>
<p>Mulder shot her his most winning smile and Scully laughed again. 'Four times', the voice in Mulder's head whispered excitedly, 'you made her laugh four times tonight!' </p>
<p>"I'm sure I can spare some," she answered with a grin, "but you owe me."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dana Scully's Apartment, Washington DC<br/>24th December 1992<br/>7.01 PM</p>
<p>One hour later, Mulder found himself sat cross-legged on the floor of Scully's apartment, surrounded by gift wrap, rolls of sticky tape, alarmingly sharp scissors, and more ribbons, bows, and shiny tissue paper than the average branch of Michaels. Beside him was a small stack of presents to wrap; a fancy bottle of gin for his father, perfume for his mom who he was driving up to see in the morning, and the VHS of Wayne's World for his friends the Gunmen, purchased solely because Garth had reminded him so strongly of Langly that he couldn't resist. It was a modest stack, he knew that, but gift-giving had never really been his thing anyway.</p>
<p>Scully, on the other hand, was almost invisible to him at this point, obscured behind vast quantities of presents that were currently making her living room look like the closing scenes of a typical Hallmark movie. There were toys, towels, bottles of wine and spirits, books, CDs, scented candles, and even a model kit of a WWII era plane. Half were now wrapped, and Scully was making rapid progress through the rest, clearly accustomed to wrapping large numbers of presents quickly and efficiently.</p>
<p>Mulder leaned back against the soft, pastel-shaded couch and stretched, his hand reaching back to reach for the glass of eggnog Scully had poured for him when he first arrived. He took another sip and looked around the apartment again. He had been surprised at its size when she had first opened the door, especially given she received the same small government paycheck he did. She had mumbled something about an inheritance from a grandparent and quickly changed the subject. The apartment was very… Scully. Mulder couldn't quite put his finger on what it was exactly, but it suited her, much like his own threadbare bachelor pad suited him. This apartment was cozy, soft, and inviting, much like Scully herself when she wasn't barking orders at a suspect or an unhelpful branch of local law enforcement. Having seen both sides of her now, Mulder wasn't entirely sure which he liked best. The friendly, funny Scully he'd recently come to know was a whole lot more relaxing to spend time with, but he'd never admit to some of his more thrilling dreams in which he found the sterner Scully barking orders of a very different nature directly at him. </p>
<p>"Who's this for?" he asked her, picking up a large, fancy-looking patchouli-scented candle. Scully looked over from where she was writing neatly on a gift tag.</p>
<p>"My sister Missy," she told him, immediately looking back down to the tag. "She's really into all that new age stuff, tarot cards, crystals, the works. Drives my parents mad." She looked back up at him and grinned. "I think you'd like her."</p>
<p>"I don't think you ever mentioned a sister before?" Mulder replied, taking another drink of eggnog. "A brother once, but I'd remember you mentioning a sister."</p>
<p>Scully attached the tag to the nearest present and stood up, stretching out her back with a groan. She stepped across the room and pulled down a photo frame before handing it to Mulder.</p>
<p>"That's Missy," she told him, sitting back down and pulling over the next gift - a pack of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures that she'd told Mulder were for her godson when he'd made a joke about them upon arrival. "She's a couple years older than me." </p>
<p>"Will she be at your parents' house for Christmas tomorrow?"</p>
<p>"Yep. The whole family's there this year so it's gonna be crowded around the table!"</p>
<p>"Who's the whole family?" Mulder asked as it occurred to him that he didn't really know all that much about Scully's family. </p>
<p>"Well, there's mom and dad, obviously. Bill's on shore leave - he's my older brother - so he'll be there with his fiancee Tara. They just got engaged a few weeks ago so I imagine all the conversation this year will be about wedding plans." She rolled her eyes but didn't really seem all that displeased with the prospect. "Missy's coming, alone I assume unless she's been keeping secrets from me which I doubt. Then there's my younger brother Charlie. He's coming with his wife Robyn who's pregnant. Mom's thrilled - a wedding AND a grandchild in the same year, it's like a dream come true for her. Other than that, I think my Aunt Kathy will be there, that's mom's sister, and dad will drive out to pick up my Great Aunt Olive from the nursing home in the morning. She's 95 and a bit wobbly these days but mentally she's still sharp as a tack and she tells the best stories about growing up in Ireland." She paused to carefully fold over a corner of paper and tape it down. "How about you Mulder?"</p>
<p>"Oh, nothing quite so exciting I'm afraid," he mumbled. "I'm gonna drive up to see Mom in the morning. She lives up in Connecticut now so I should get there around lunchtime if I set off early, roads should be clear with it being Christmas morning so it's a nice drive actually. I'm staying there overnight then I'll head to my Dad's in Martha's Vineyard the day after. It's another longish drive but it's all along the coast so I'm planning to crank up some good tunes and enjoy the scenery. I'll spend the rest of the day with him, most likely working our way through this," he waved the still unwrapped bottle of gin at Scully, "and watching old movies." Then after that, I'm off on my little road trip to finally use up that leave that Skinner's been hounding me to take."</p>
<p>"Remind me where you're going?"</p>
<p>"Starting out in Salem for a few days to check out the museums and the Witch House, then it's back down to Fall River, got a reservation at the Lizzie Borden house which is now a B&amp;B and supposedly haunted. Then I have a night in Sleepy Hollow where I'm going on a nighttime tour to try and spot the horseman. I've just finished reading the book again so it'll be interesting to see how the town has changed in the last 170 years. New Year's Eve I'm actually spending in New York itself with an old friend, and then I'll be heading back home to good old Washington DC."</p>
<p>"You gonna go out to watch the ball drop?"</p>
<p>"Hell no. Did that once when I was back from college for the holidays and it was hell on Earth. You spend six hours crushed into Times Square unable to eat, drink, or use a bathroom for ten seconds of actual excitement. We're spending the night on his couch with his Nintendo and a crate of beer. What about you? Got any wild New Year's Eve plans?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively before reaching for the sticky tape. His hand landed on top of Scully's and both of them pulled back looking slightly embarrassed.</p>
<p>"That would be a no," she laughed, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "I'll be spending the day at work filing reports, then heading to my brother Charlie's house - after feeding your fish naturally - to stay with Robyn while Charlie's out."</p>
<p>"He's going out and leaving his pregnant wife home on New Year's Eve?" Mulder asked in surprise.</p>
<p>"He's a musician, on New Year's Eve he can rake in a fortune for just a couple hours playing Billy Joel covers in a fancy hotel ballroom for rich people. Robyn told him she'd kick him out if he didn't work New Year's, but he asked me to stop by for the night anyway because she's had a few complications and he doesn't want her left alone. We're gonna paint our nails, order pizza, watch chick flicks and eat whatever's left of the holiday candy."</p>
<p>Now it was Mulder's turn to laugh. </p>
<p>"I can just picture you in curlers and a face mask painting your nails bright pink and singing along to Grease."</p>
<p>Scully grinned at him, reached over, and stuck a bright pink bow onto the tip of his nose. He grinned back.</p>
<p>"Think I'm ready to join the Pink Ladies?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Nah, you're much more the Danny Zuko type," she replied, starting to tidy away the gift wrap. Somehow they had both managed to complete their wrapping as they talked and Mulder helped her gather up the ribbons and other small items into a festively patterned box, including the one that had recently adorned his nose. Together they packed everything away and Scully even took Mulder up on his offer to help her store it all away at the back of the very top of her closet. He claimed he was offering to help because he was taller and thus it was easier for him to reach, but if he was being honest, it was simply a cunning excuse to see the inside of her bedroom for the first time.</p>
<p>Finally, as the clock approached 10 pm, they stood by their respective car doors ready to leave. Mulder had helped Scully carry all her carefully wrapped gifts down to her car and load up the trunk - he was amazed the exhaust pipe wasn't now scraping the ground - and now they paused awkwardly as their heaters worked overtime to clear their windshields and make the interiors less arctic, neither quite knowing how to say goodnight.</p>
<p>"Thanks for coming over," Scully began, "this ended up being a really great Christmas Eve."</p>
<p>"Thanks for having me, and for the gift wrap."</p>
<p>"Don't forget the sticky tape," Scully laughed. Mulder laughed too.</p>
<p>"Never."</p>
<p>They paused again.</p>
<p>"I'd better go," Scully said quietly, "my father will be.."</p>
<p>"Pacing the floor?" Mulder asked with a grin. </p>
<p>"Well, it's certainly cold outside," Scully agreed with an uncharacteristic giggle, "but my maiden aunt's mind isn't all that vicious, so at least I don't have that to worry about. Enjoy your trip, Mulder. I wanna hear all about it."</p>
<p>"Oh you will," he assured her, opening his car door as she opened hers. "Have a great Christmas Scully."</p>
<p>"You too Mulder. Drive safe."</p>
<p>He watched as she ducked into her own car and pulled the door closed, as he did the same thing, grateful for working heaters and well-gritted streets. He waved half-heartedly as he watched her pull away from the curb and disappear into the night, even though he was sure she wasn't looking. Beside him, her Living Will looked up at him from the passenger seat and he promised himself he would read over it for her before he went to bed so he was ready to be her witness when they were both back in the office come January. It meant a lot that she already trusted him enough to ask him to do that, and tonight had made it mean even more. Just nine months ago he'd accused her of being a spy, but Dana Scully had already proved herself to him a hundred times over and he suspected this was only just the beginning. Switching on his radio, Mulder pulled away from the curb himself, following behind his new partner into the night. They weren't headed for the same destination this evening, but Mulder suspected they were destined to be on the same road for many years yet to come.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My prompt for this story was, "A look at Mulder and Scully's first Xmas as partners. Not necessarily their first year working together, just the first time they celebrate." </p>
<p>When I googled the XF timeline to see when their first Christmas as partners would fall (between 'Deep Throat' and 'Squeeze' FYI) I spotted two interesting things: 1: This is when it's estimated that Scully got Mulder to sign her living will, and 2: It's also roughly when Mulder took that vacation time he mentions in 'Never Again', so I took those two things as inspiration. It also occurred to me that this is Scully's final tragedy-free Christmas with her family before the events of 'Beyond the Sea' the next year so I wanted to give her the opportunity for some happy normality!</p>
<p>The title comes from a line in Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses that seemed to sum up exactly what the story is about.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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